In the 18th and 19th (and sometimes early 20th) centuries, there
existed a naming pattern for the children of a marriage. While by no means
a golden rule, you might find it a useful source of clues when searching
for twigs of your tree.
| First-born son | Father's father |
| Second-born son | Mother's father |
| Third-born son | Father |
| Fourth-born son | Father's eldest brother |
| Fifth-born son | Father's 2nd oldest brother or Mother's oldest brother |
| First-born daughter | Mother's mother |
| Second-born daughter | Father's mother |
| Third-born daughter | Mother |
| Fourth-born daughter | Mother's eldest sister |
| Fifth-born daughter | Mothers 2nd eldest sister or Father's eldest sister |
You may find that the order can be reversed with the first and second children, i.e. the first-born son named after Mother's father etc. If this is the case, then the daughters are also usually reversed.
Note: this information was taken from a web-page of the Dumfries
& Galloway Family History Society which, at the time of writing, no
longer appears to be active
And yet another: http://claymore.wisemagic.com/scotradiance/far/far0401.htm